What it costs to buy property in Saint Lucia
A foreign buyer should budget roughly 4.1%–4.3% of the purchase price on top of the price itself. A licence is required before you can take title.
What you pay
- Stamp duty2.0% of the price$10,000
- Legal fees1.0%–1.2% of the price$5,000–$6,000
- Certificate of Eligibility0.6% of the price$3,000
- Alien Landholding Licence0.5% of the price$2,500
| On a purchase of | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Eligibility | $3,000 | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Alien Landholding Licence | $2,500 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| Stamp duty | $5,000 | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| Legal fees | $2,500 – $3,000 | $5,000 – $6,000 | $10,000 – $12,000 |
| Total on top of the price | 5.2%–5.4% | 4.1%–4.3% | 3.5%–3.8% |
Who carries the taxes and fees
What the seller pays — not you
- Vendor's tax — 10%10% where the seller is a non-national — the largest charge in the transaction, and not the buyer's.
Guides that add every tax together and present the total as a buyer's bill overstate the cost. These are the seller's.
Can you buy as a foreigner?
Licence required
Non-nationals need an Alien Landholding Licence, preceded by a Certificate of Eligibility. Unlike Antigua or Saint Kitts, the licence is a flat government fee rather than a percentage of value, so it weighs far more heavily on a modest purchase than an expensive one.
Allow 3–6 months
Reported to have run far longer in the past. Six weeks is on record but is the exception, not the expectation.
Take it with you
These figures as a PDF, worked out at the price you enter, with every source and the date it was checked.
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Nearby markets compared
What a foreign buyer pays on top of a $500,000 price, here and in the markets around it nearest in cost.
- Saint LuciaLicence needed4.1%–4.3%
- GuadeloupeNo licence7.0%–7.8%
- MartiniqueNo licence7.5%–8.3%
- Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesLicence needed11.3%
- GrenadaLicence needed13.3%